Hello Lovelies,
Thanks for coming back to my blog! And if You are new here, welcome xo
Hope life is treating You well? After a bit of unplugging, I am back with the post. Life & musings, plus first beauty haul this year. Shall we begin? I thought You would never ask 🙂
Musings
coming out of winter sleep
So I unplugged so hard, that even I forgot my posting schedule 🙂 The digital break was needed on a lot of levels, plus I was in a bit of a writer’s block and wasn’t excited about anything in the dead of the winter. Even my 2024 best products post is yet to be done. On top of that I gave myself a no buy/low buy challenge for a year, so of course that dampened my mood even more. What’s life without beauty products and little treats for ourselves here and there, right? I planned to not buy anything in the first three months & then proceed with low buy afterwards, all while working through all my products Project Pan style. Sounds good, right? In theory, yes, but what I hadn’t accounted for was how bleh and sorry for myself I would be feeling in winter, so of course I cracked in January and bought some new clothes in the sales. I did so much better with beauty products though – nothing till last week, but we will talk about that in the “Things” portion of the post.
Flower paparazzi
How beautiful is this rose bush? Crazy that it blooms in February! Ia m really enjoying photographing budding nature while walking around my town, pretty sure You will see that in my social media soon.
READING
You guys know I love reading. So I was very excited to receive a book by renowned rheumatologist Dr. Aly Cohen. DETOXIFY is the ultimate guide for anyone passionate about clean living. It uncovers hidden immune-disrupting chemicals in our everyday lives, from water to household products, and offers a revolutionary approach to tackling the rise of chronic illness and immune disorders in today’s toxin-filled world. Jam-packed with easy-to-follow advice, the innovative 4A’s environmental health framework, and a 21-day plan including tips and recipes, this book was written for readers of IMMUNE and THE AUTOIMMUNE SOLUTION to help us live our healthiest, toxin-free lives. You guys know that I am dealing not only with perioral dermatitis but also with chronic sinusitis that is going from moderate to severe (my GP’s words, not mine). So this book sounds like it is for me! I will keep You posted.
organic miso nooch?
So I was browsing the iHerb the other day, as one does and I came across something so interesting that I immediately had to know more. Have You heard of miso nooch? Me neither till that very moment. This is actually dried and powdered miso to be used as savoury seasoning on anything Your heart desires. I was immediately all ears, but not in a way that I went and bought it. I actually tried to DIY it. I know and love miso for many years now, so I went ahead and tried to dry it on the low heat. What I didn’t anticipate was how slow and painstaking the process is. It’s been a week and it is still moist inside. Now I understand the price point – it is 16.34$ for 64 grams. It shot to nr11 in ll purpose seasonings on iHerb since it launched not too long ago. It’s a sign, right? Should I go for it?
Other
What else I have been doing lately? Solo parenting for months, because hubby has been working away. It left me more tired than usual, especially with Milo’s walkies twice a day. He is so big now that it is very hard to handle him, especially if he decides to get into dog fight. So my days were quiet (boring?) taking care of everyone in all the mommying ways. Also loading the fireplace almost daily, it is bringing me so much joy. And warmth. It will never get old. Of course I’ve been foraging whatever sparse nature’s gifts I could find. For the time being, it’s tree cornered leeks, jelly ear mushrooms and gorse flowers. I also walked everywhere, did yoga and read quite a bit. Took magnesium salts baths weekly. It has been lovely, but I am ready to close down this quiet chapter and start having some fun!
Things
I guess You have been dying to know what did I buy? Ok, ok, I will show You.
Ecco verde order
I really needed a mascara, so that was the excuse for this order. I still ended up spending just a bit over 100€on this haul. Crazy how little You get for natural and organic products for Your monies. I tried a few variations for the order, dropping “wants” and leaving only “needs” and still could not get below 100eu mark. I got myself Lily Lolo Bestsellers kit, which had mascara, lipstick and a bronzer. Then I got Skin Equal foundation in 30 Rose Ivory. I like this formula, but their foundation matching tool misled me to get a shade that ended up being way too light for me. As we know, there’s no returning anything open in EU, so I got stuck with the wrong shade for months. I was hoping I could get away with 20 in the dead of the winter where everyone is at their pastiest. Nope. Not even bronzing helped. Besides, I don’t even like wearing loads of make up, it was too much work. So take number two for this foundation it is! Then I got two sheet masks for myself and mini me, simply because it is only two of us for days and I want that cute memories together. I think it’s been about five years since I allowed myself sheet mask. I hate waste aspect of them, besides my quick DIY manuka honey based masks work for well for me. Then I got a new toothpaste for the mini me and immortelle hydrosol. Cheryl from Free Range Diva has been singing praises for it, so I was itching to get it. Immortelle floral water is supposed to be good for sensitive skin, aging skin and blemished skin too. The scent of this is so much better than the one I had years ago. Then I got new multiple from Sante and volumising mascara from Terra Naturi. This brand is so cheap, I cannot get over their prices. Nothing like that can be found in Ireland, we literally have no bargain natural beauty brands. Maybe Benecos in selected health stores, but the prices hiked up quite a bit.
So far I am happy enough with everything, except for Lily Lolo set. In fact, I contacted them for a replacement/ sending it back. The mascara reeks of alcohol yet it is so dry that it flaked on the day ONE. The lipstick also smells of rancid oils/ reminiscent scent of crayons. This makes me think I got sent an old set. This is the first time I encountered a problem with Ecco Verde & I am ten orders deep. Pity, but things like this happen. I’ll see how they will resolve it.
no show giveaway win
I also won a small giveaway, a bottle of new Mango & Orange Rescue Remedy dropper. I just realized it’s been three weeks since and I got nothing yet. I DMed to ask about it and then asked to check on it on their post the day later, but since it’s been that long, I am assuming it’s lost in the post?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGDpRiXKtDM/
So that’s it for today. Hope this post was in any shape or form interesting or helpful? See You here again in two weeks!